Kristin Keith, left, and Catherine Hennessy Friday at City Hall in Philadelphia. On Tuesday, Pennsylvania became the final Northeastern state and the 19th in the U.S. to legalize same-sex marriage. Republican Gov. Tom Corbett said Wednesday he would not appeal a federal judge's ruling that overturned the state's 1996 ban. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
(Matt Rourke)

Once Tracey M. Strickland and Erica Millberry officially become "wife and wife" this afternoon, Strickland will be screaming it from the rooftops.

"It just means everything to me," said the 48-year-old Strickland, who will be marrying Millberry, her partner of five years, at 3 p.m. today at the Unitarian Church of Harrisburg. "(It's) as special as the breath of my child. ... It's beyond validation. It's beyond happy."

"We don't have to prove anything to anybody anymore," Strickland said. "Our love is real ... and we can express it."

Erica Millberry, left, and Tracey M. Strickland of Highspire will have their wedding today at 3 p.m. at the Unitarian Church of Harrisburg, 1280 Clover Lane. Provided photo

The Highspire couple is one of four same-sex weddings Rev. Eric Posa has scheduled for today at his church on 1280 Clover Lane.

A bevvy of same-sex weddings in and around south Central Pennsylvania are set for today as, for many, it's the first day they legally can do so.

In Dauphin, Cumberland, York, Lancaster and Lebanon counties, same-sex couples have been flocking to their county's register of wills to apply for marriage licenses since Wednesday morning.

Out of 68 marriage license applications between Wednesday and Friday, 45 have been from same-sex couples, the Dauphin County Register of Wills office said Friday after its office had closed.

Lancaster County Register of Wills office reported 28 same-sex couples applied for marriage licenses during that same period. In York County, there were 16 and Cumberland County had seven in those same three days, according to the York County Register of Wills and Wayne Pecht, solicitor for the Cumberland County Register of Wills. As of a little before 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Lebanon County Register of Wills reported a total of three same-sex marriage license applications.

For some that received their marriage licenses Wednesday, the three-day waiting period between when they get their license and can legally marry is up today.

Hence, the expected uptick in weddings.

Couples who received their marriage licensees Tuesday in Philadelphia already were exchanging vows Friday, the Associated Press reported. Several Philadelphia judges also had planned to be at Philadelphia City Hall Friday and Saturday to officiate weddings.

Even before then, two Pittsburgh women also married Wednesday as a judge had waived the three-day waiting period, the Associated Press reported.

Rev. Anne Mason of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lancaster has seven same-sex weddings scheduled for today. On Friday, she said each couple would have the church at 538 W. Chestnut Street for an hour with a 50-minute ceremony.

This is a first for Mason who's never presided over more than one wedding in a day.

Mason said there are many other churches that aren't allowed to do same-sex weddings, and she was proud of her church for "being open and affirming."

Additionally, Mason said the weddings are free — the church voted to do that as a way to celebrate the lifting of the ban on gay marriage.

More same-sex weddings are set for Memorial Day in Lancaster. Rev. Kelly Jo Singleton of the Lancaster Interfaith Sanctuary said Friday that she had weddings for four same-sex couples and one opposite-sex couple scheduled for Memorial Day.

"Whoever wants to get married on Monday, it's free," Singleton said.

In Dauphin County, Rev. Lori E. Rivera of the Metropolitan Community Church of the Spirit will be presiding over Stephanie Stewart of Harrisburg and LaQuana Myrick's 2 p.m. wedding at Fort Hunter.

Rivera has another wedding set for Sunday. The two are among a few requests Rivera has received for weddings since Tuesday's ruling.

"Everybody on Facebook is talking about setting dates and so forth," Rivera said. "I have seen an increase in people wanting to get married."

On Friday, Posa expected there would be "quite a few" same-sex weddings in south Central Pennsylvania this weekend. While he said there would be more weddings than usual, he couldn't quantify exactly how much more.

What Posa does know is the four same-sex weddings he's presiding over today are a personal daily record.

Posa said he's also getting calls from a few couples that want to schedule weddings for next weekend or in June.

"I can say for myself and my colleagues — this is the kind of busy we like to be," Posa said.

Posa said it was incredibly joyous to finally see gay marriage legalized in Pennsylvania.

"There are couples who have waited for decades," Posa said, noting one couple he's wedding today has been together for 21 years, another for 37 years. "People have waited for so long, and shouldn't have to wait any longer."

Before Tuesday's marriage equality ruling, Millberry and Strickland had been planning to uproot their family and move out of Pennsylvania to a state where gay marriage was legal. That was supposed to happen once 29-year-old Millberry, who's studying to be a registered nurse, graduated from her program at the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences in Lancaster.

"Our plans have completely changed for the best," Millberry said.

Millberry felt like she was married to Strickland even before Tuesday's ruling and she didn't think she could love Strickland any more than she already did.

But that love has been growing.

"I feel like I love her more and more since then," Millberry said Friday. After they're married later today, Millberry said, "I feel like I'm going to love her that much more."

"Once we make that bond in front of God and, all of our family is going to be there, ... it's just going to be amazing," Millberry said.

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